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Stephanie J Thompson

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a surreal pause

March 13, 2013 by Stephanie Leave a Comment

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Last Saturday morning began like many other Saturdays for our family.  We slept in a little bit late (hello 8:30am!)  The rhythm of kids on the computers in the living room, coffee percolating in the kitchen and pancakes cooking on the stove is familiar to us.  It brings a sense of routine.  It’s from place of security that we make our Saturday list of things to do.  With a whole day lying ahead of us, many activities make up that list: laundry, fixing broken appliances, grocery shopping…It’s the rhythm we come to expect on Saturday mornings.as

Yet, this past Saturday, in the midst of routine, an uncomfortable reality began to nudge at me.  Our routine is made by us and can be interrupted and changed forever.  At anytime.  You see, as my family was finding comfort in the routine activities in our home, another family was experiencing immense pain and confusion in theirs.  From my window, I watched as cars pulled into the funeral home across the street to mourn the loss of a young man.  Someone who was in his routine at college last Saturday.  Someone who was responsible, loved God and had a whole life ahead of him.  Someone, who had enough wits to pull of f the road when the symptoms began so that his passengers would not lose their lives in an accident. Yet Sunday morning. with little warning, a torn aorta suddenly took his life.  In a bittersweet twist, he had enough time to call his parents from the hospital to tell them Good-bye.

For me, I couldn’t stop thinking of that unsettling reality that faced me.  My routine, my expectations can be interrupted and changed forever.  It’s the unsettling reality that my rhythm that brings comfort is part of a bigger rhythm that comprises the activities of all of creation.  My joy may come at the same time as someone’s sorrow.  And it works vise versa. .  The surreal part of it is that God’s hand intersects in both.

As Job so eloquently states” He gives. He takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord”. (Job 1:21)

I find it easy to praise God in the comfortable rhythms of my life.  The challenge is to Praise god when the rhythm is interrupted and changed. And it will happen; at anytime.

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When my first child was born 20 plus years ago, I envisioned taking just a few years off from my role as Pastor of Youth and Family. While that didn’t exactly unfold as expected, God used my gifts and skills in other ways. Read More…

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s2thomp

Oh my goodness! I made red lobster biscuits as a l Oh my goodness! I made red lobster biscuits as a loaf! So good!
Lena ( who is vegan) prepared an herbed butter roa Lena ( who is vegan) prepared an herbed butter roasted turkey. We collaborated on vegan side dishes including rolls (amazing!), sauteed green beans with shallots, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and of course dessert. Thankful for her culinary coaching and help today. How is your Thansgiving?
My recent reads. Three female authors who expanded My recent reads. Three female authors who expanded my recognition of the character of God and what it means to belong to the bold sisterhood of image bearers. I long to have their words coursing through my veins at all times.
“Are these good for baking?” asked the man sha “Are these good for baking?” asked the man sharing space in front of the bin of potatoes. I had navigated around the maze of vegetable stands in the produce department of the grocery store on a Saturday afternoon, and arrived here at this moment. As I looked up, he continued, “I’m new to this.”

 I answered his question, my mind reeling with the scenarios playing out in his life right now. He appeared in his 60’s. Did his spouse recently die? Divorce? “Sure. These are what I use. There is another bin over with more,” I replied as I pointed away from where we stood. 

My answer felt inadequate to what was conveyed seconds before. But it is what he needed. Humanity. A recognition that we see and hear each others as companions in this place wrought with both beauty and pain.

As he parted, he thanked me and I remembered: I have encountered this situation before. Another time in a different store, an elderly man asked me where to find an item and commented that he had never done the grocery shopping before. I walked away wishing I could do more than identify an aisle.

These encounters remind me that “we are all walking each other home.” At anytime, any one of us is harboring invisible struggles. None of us is immune to the realities that we live in a place this side of Heaven. 

But we have the opportunity to offer grace and love in the most ordinary of moments. We share out of what has been given to us. It’s not ours to hoard.

Read more: https://stephaniejthompson.com/2020/10/27/seeking-gods-transformation-of-our-interactions-with-others/  #graceupongrace #sacredconnections. #loveyourneighbor
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s2thomp

Oh my goodness! I made red lobster biscuits as a l Oh my goodness! I made red lobster biscuits as a loaf! So good!
Lena ( who is vegan) prepared an herbed butter roa Lena ( who is vegan) prepared an herbed butter roasted turkey. We collaborated on vegan side dishes including rolls (amazing!), sauteed green beans with shallots, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and of course dessert. Thankful for her culinary coaching and help today. How is your Thansgiving?
My recent reads. Three female authors who expanded My recent reads. Three female authors who expanded my recognition of the character of God and what it means to belong to the bold sisterhood of image bearers. I long to have their words coursing through my veins at all times.
“Are these good for baking?” asked the man sha “Are these good for baking?” asked the man sharing space in front of the bin of potatoes. I had navigated around the maze of vegetable stands in the produce department of the grocery store on a Saturday afternoon, and arrived here at this moment. As I looked up, he continued, “I’m new to this.”

 I answered his question, my mind reeling with the scenarios playing out in his life right now. He appeared in his 60’s. Did his spouse recently die? Divorce? “Sure. These are what I use. There is another bin over with more,” I replied as I pointed away from where we stood. 

My answer felt inadequate to what was conveyed seconds before. But it is what he needed. Humanity. A recognition that we see and hear each others as companions in this place wrought with both beauty and pain.

As he parted, he thanked me and I remembered: I have encountered this situation before. Another time in a different store, an elderly man asked me where to find an item and commented that he had never done the grocery shopping before. I walked away wishing I could do more than identify an aisle.

These encounters remind me that “we are all walking each other home.” At anytime, any one of us is harboring invisible struggles. None of us is immune to the realities that we live in a place this side of Heaven. 

But we have the opportunity to offer grace and love in the most ordinary of moments. We share out of what has been given to us. It’s not ours to hoard.

Read more: https://stephaniejthompson.com/2020/10/27/seeking-gods-transformation-of-our-interactions-with-others/  #graceupongrace #sacredconnections. #loveyourneighbor
Follow on Instagram
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Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details.

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